58 J. J. STEYENSOX — LOWER CARBOXIFEROUS, APPALACHIAN BASIN 



In 1873 Professor Fontaine made some studies in Greenbrier county, 

 adjoining Pocahontas at the south, where he secured the following meas- 

 urement : 



Feet 



Shale 1,310 



Limestone 822 



But he gives no details, further than the shales consist of red, green, and 

 brown sandstones and shales. At a later date he obtained at Quinni- 

 mont, in Raleigh count3\ on New river, some characteristic Lower Car- 

 boniferous fossils from the upper part of the shales. In Summers county, 

 southwest from Greenbrier, Fontaine estimated the shales at Richmond 

 falls on New river as 1,450 feet, dividing ihem into 



Feet 



Upper, red and variegated 310 



Middle, gray shale and sandstone 820 



LoAver, red shale and sandstone 320 



He made no estimate of the limestone further than the statement that 

 it is evidently thicker than at the northern locality in Greenbrier.^ 



This brings the line to the New river of Virginia. Southward the in- 

 creasing strength and number of the faults have preserved narrow strips 

 of lower Carboniferous farther and farther east, some remaining even 

 in the Great valley. Before continuing farther along this line, it may 

 be best to turn to the great basin under West Virginia, so that the re- 

 lations of shales and limestones along the outcrop be not forgotten. For 

 our knowledge respecting this region we are indebted wholh' to Dr I. C. 

 White, who has preserved and tabulated a great number of well records. 



West Virginia basin. — In crossing Monongalia, Marion, and Wetzel, the 

 northern tier of counties, one notes an abrupt decrease in thickness of 

 the Mauch Chunk. In Monongalia, at barely 20 miles from Cheat River 

 gap through Chestnut hill, the whole interval from Pottsville to Pocono 

 is but 210 feet, filled w^ith " slate, shells, and red rock,'" 172 feet, and lime- 

 stone 38 feet. The upper limestone, apparentl}^ is wanting. At Fair- 

 view, 15 miles southwest in Marion county, the interval is given as vary- 

 ing from 235 to 255 feet ; a detailed section in one well shows shale, 

 mostly red, 195 feet, and. limestone 70 feet ; but below the latter are sand, 

 red, soft, 5 feet, and sand, limy, yellow, hard, 22 feet, below which comes 

 the Big Injun or Logan. This lower red sand may be the " Keener " 

 of the drillers, which has been regarded in the previous portion of this 

 paper as belonging to the Mauch Chunk. At ten miles farther south- 



*W. ;M. Foutaine : Amer. Jour. Sci., vol. vii, p. 577; ibid, vol. xi, p. 27S. 



